Namibia 1.6 Public information is easily accessible, guaranteed by law, to all citizens, including journalists. ANALYSIS: There is no Access to Information Act. People have access to certain public information like court documents but there is no law forcing the government or companies to divulge information of public interest. Government officials often make it difficult for journalists to get information in the public interest. “In Namibia there is such a culture of secrecy around public information that people have stopped asking. This leaves a lot of space for officials not wanting to be transparent or open.” Investigative journalists have found that even accessing information from the Registrar of Companies can be difficult, but the question remains whether this is intentional or as a result of sheer incompetence. Documents that should be in the public domain, such as the budget, are made available only to certain individuals or institutions, while the government website, which could be a good tool for informing the public, is hopelessly outdated. A point was made that if you know the right person in government you can also get documents sent to you electronically. Concern was raised that the 2006 Hansard [the official report of parliamentary debates] is still not available, and this should be a way for the government to disseminate information to the public. Parliament is also discussing establishing regional centres around the country, which could provide Namibians with more access to documents and information of policy. African Media Barometer - Namibia 2007 9